Old and new

I know it don't look like it but we got Beth singing

We are eating food that we fried ourselves, it was good

The Meiji Shrine, two days before New Year's Eve

Batman's probably hanging around here somewhere

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building courtyard

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Getting that apple

Beth at fountain near the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Shinjuku

A shopping area in an opening in the underground passage between Shinjuku station and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

A break in the underground passageway between Shinjuku station and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

The Shinjuku Eye

Beth hanging out on a traditional (seeming) yakitori selling alley in Shinjuku

Streetcorner, Tokyo, Akihabara

Beth in Akihabara. We didn't go to any maid cafes though.

Dansen jivin'

Watching planes land at Narita.
It took a long time for Beth's flight to come in.

You are not addicted to caffeine.
You just aren't, OK?

Another entryway to Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle entryway

Osaka Castle, viewing gallery visible

The fountain at Osaka Castle is captivating

Beth with Hajime and Kimie at Hinoki Sushi

Small girl photographing pelicans at Tokiwa Park

Smorgasboard

The Japanese word for all you can eat is 「バイキン」, that is, "Viking."
I love the images conjured up by this word. Dozens of horned and bearded warriors gathered around a long wooden table. Shouting, pounding down mead and fighting for food.
This contrasts delihtfully with dozens of Japanese people queing up quietly at a nicely laid out buffet.

So I finally got arounds to going to Tsuwano

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been trying to go to Tsuwano for a while now. But rain and laziness have stopped me. Though the other week I finally did it. I managed to wake up at seven in the morning and get my ass down to the train station. I didn't sleep at all on the way, partly becaused I ran into someone I knew on the train, and partly because I just got my iPod fixed and wanted to rock out with my new headphones. On the train ride I was confronted by two surprises seatwise. One, I was in the reserved car. Two, it was a special express so I had to fork over an other thousand yen to the conductor. However, the scenery was pleasant, pastoral and foggy, but not exceptional.
I arrived in Tsuwano around ten in the morning. A lovely was snaking it's way through the hills as I exited the station. I bypassed the bicycle rental shops. An attractive concept to be sure, but I am not acrobatic enough to take photos whilst operating a velocipede. Goal one was coffee. Well, to clarify, goal one was actually hitting the head, but that's not something that'd come up on a to-do list, even for a meticulously planned trip. Coffee has more of a chance of hanging out there at the top of a list.
Anyway, after coffee I meandered towards the Inari Shrine in Tsuwano. It's a shrine dedicated to the fox god, Inari. He's prayed to for wealth. If the prayers are granted those that were praying to him, family, individual, or company, either build a new shrine to him or add to an existing one. The new shrines are usually built on top of a building they were able to construct with their newfound wealth, preferably a high-rise. The cheaper option though, is to add to an existing shrine, usually buying a new torii to put up on the path leading to the Inari shrine. These torii are place one after the other, forming a tunnel almost, each one with the name of the donator posted on it. Most medium to large shrines have a small Inari shrine in the corner, but of course the best place to pray and build is one of the five (I believe) large shrines. Tsuwano is home to one of these. I took many pictures of the numerous switchbacks of red gates leading up to the shrine, ate lunch and caught the last express home. The trip was worth it to see the shrine. I could try to explain it, but I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

[Scroll past the next two posts.]